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Now for something completely different... well, sorta

Now for something completely different... well, sorta

Going back to my roots and made Chinese steamed buns (mantou).

APF 250g, water 80g, milk 50g, sugar 15g, oil 5g, yeast 3g

Knead together by hand, first rise is optional. The dough should feel fairly dry. Roll dough out to a rectangular sheet, then roll up tightly into a cylinder. Cut into 8 pieces and proof for about 45 minutes. Steam with medium heat for about 15 min.

My daughter said, "Daddy, next time can you make them with taste?" Little did she know that these are magical buns. The more you chew, the sweeter it gets. It's an enzyme thing.

You can also shape them round and stuff with BBQ pork, taro paste, red bean paste... I have a particular weakness for red bean paste. It comes in a can, but I just came across a recipe to make it from scratch. Gonna try that tonight.

Yes, those were the finished buns. They are meant to be enjoyed warm. If not eaten right away, you can put them in ziploc bags and refrigerate them. 20 seconds in the microwave to reheat.

Red Bean Paste

red beans 600g

Soak red beans in 1200g water for 24 hours (at least overnight), then cook over medium heat until soft. Drain the water, and add 450g sugar (white, brown or combo, or rock sugar) while the beans are hot. Mix gently until the beans are sweetened. Some prefer the beans whole, others mash them.

Make sure they get a good rise before steaming, or they'll come out gummy and dense. Also, if the heat/steam is too high, they'll over-expand, and deflate once you open the lid of the steamer, forming craters on the surface for some otherworldly appearance.

You're welcome! You could always increase the sugar to make them sweeter, or use brown sugar to add some color. Be sure to roll the dough out pretty flat, and roll it up tightly. This is one bread where you don't want irregular holes :)

(And btw, Koreans eat those buns with spicy sweet potato clear noodles... Don't ask me why, but the buns go really well with the noodle dish. Okay, I am salivating now just thinking about them buns and the noodles...!!)

I've been trying my hand at yin-zhi juan recently, aka silver-thread rolls and came across a similar recipe. However, I was wondering if you might be able to share your thoughts about a few things?

What about salt in the recipe? Any place for it? I added some in my last "steam," and can tell that it's there, but not sure if it's actually missed or needed in this recipe.

Second, I usually bake at about 75% hydration, and have been making steamed buns at over 80% hydration. However, while it seems like fluffier buns are desireable, higher hydration does not necessarily equate to fluffiness when steamed. Any thoughts about this?

The recipes I've seen do not require salt. You can add some sugar to sweeten the dough. Higher hydration would make to dough too difficult to work with, I think. Mine are around 50% hydration. 60% tops. Only one rise.

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